Dig In: Garden checklist for week of April 30

Did you like the heat? Despite the record high of 90 degrees on Thursday, summer hasn’t arrived early. Get ready to plunge back into more normal spring conditions.

According to the National Weather Service, expect a rapid cooldown and maybe even some rain.

“The 6- to 10-Day Precipitation Outlook valid for May 4 through May 8 indicates likely above-normal precipitation for the interior NorCal region with cooler than normal temperatures likely as well,” tweeted the NWS Sacramento office late Friday.

How much cooler? After nine consecutive days in the 80s or 90s, Sacramento will see high temperatures in the 60s most of this coming week with a chance of showers every day but Wednesday. That’s more than a 20-degree drop from this past week – and below normal for early May in Sacramento. Average high for this week is 75 degrees.

Take advantage of this cooler weather. It will put less stress on newly transplanted seedlings. Get those tomatoes in the ground.

* Plant, plant, plant! May is prime planting season in the Sacramento area. Time to set out tomatoes, peppers and eggplants. Pinch off any flowers on new transplants to make them concentrate on establishing roots instead of setting premature fruit.

* Direct-seed melons, cucumbers, summer squash, corn, radishes, pumpkins and annual herbs such as basil.

* Harvest cabbage, lettuce, peas and green onions.

* In the flower garden, direct-seed sunflowers, cosmos, salvia, zinnias, marigolds, celosia and asters. (You also can transplant seedlings for many of the same flowers.)

* Plant dahlia tubers. Other perennials to set out include verbena, coreopsis, coneflower and astilbe.

* Transplant petunias, marigolds and perennial flowers such as astilbe, columbine, coneflowers, coreopsis, dahlias, rudbeckia and verbena.

* Keep an eye out for slugs, snails, earwigs and aphids that want to dine on tender new growth.

* Feed summer bloomers with a balanced fertilizer.

* For continued bloom, cut off spent flowers on roses as well as other flowering plants.

* Don’t forget to water. Seedlings need moisture. Deep watering will help build strong roots and healthy plants.

* Put your veggie garden on a regular diet. Set up a monthly feeding program, and keep track on your calendar. Make sure to water your garden before applying any fertilizer to prevent “burning” your plants.

* As spring-flowering shrubs finish blooming, give them a little pruning to shape them, removing old and dead wood. Lightly trim azaleas, fuchsias and marguerites for bushier plants.

* Add mulch to the garden to help keep that precious water from evaporating. Mulch also cuts down on weeds. But don’t let it mound around the stems or trunks of trees or shrubs. Leave about a 6-inch to 1-foot circle to avoid crown rot or other problems.